Weird build up in radiator

[Rockhead]

Get rid of the Dexcool and switch to green. I have done it to all my GMs with the Jonestown Coolaid (dexcool).

[nards444]

Originally Posted by Rockhead

Get rid of the Dexcool and switch to green. I have done it to all my GMs with the Jonestown Coolaid (dexcool).

not smart and you just kanked your powertrain warranty

[Rockhead]

Originally Posted by nards444

not smart and you just kanked your powertrain warranty

I work as at a GM dealer and we have a menu operation to flush to green coolant. So do our sister dealers. It will not effect your powertrain coverage.

[nards444]

Originally Posted by Rockhead

I work as at a GM dealer and we have a menu operation to flush to green coolant. So do our sister dealers. It will not effect your powertrain coverage.

right on I guess it depends on your dealer. My dealer said if they found anything but orange in there the warranty would be voided, I beleive the book says that as well. But good luck i guess

[v6sonoma]

My trucks 11 years old and it came with dex-cool. Never had a problem. Only changed it once. lol just recently. Had some of the crud under the cap. I just wiped it off and the cap looked like new. Never had any problems.

[Russell James]

A new car should never be switched to the old style green coolant. It's impossible to get every last bit of the orange dexcool out without a complete engine and cooling system tear down. The two are incompatible. Any dealer doing this to customer's new cars is unbelievably idiotic. Say goodbye to your 100K powertrain warranty.

That dealer's opinion that it works will mean nothing when your on vacation and need a repair or that dealer is no longer in business... and the next dealer fixing it says wait a minute, someone put the wrong coolant in here. Or when you go to sell the car, a smart buyer will see that it has the wrong coolant, or get a rude shock when he needs a warranty repair at a different dealer.

I'm sticking with the opinion that on a '10 vehicle, that little gunk there is most likely just some cooling system sealant that floated up after assembly. When new vehicles are assembled, the cooling system gets a powder type of sealant. You can even buy the little tablets at the dealer's parts dept for when rebuilding an engine. I've seen it before in new cars, it's nothing.

With dexcool, if kept full and change it when called for, it will work perfect. If you let it get low, and on some of the older models with metal rad caps, you could get corrosion city on the bottom of that metal rad cap. You'll see the Camaro has a much better designed rad cap, that is plastic, o-ring sealed, and if you pop your's off - you'll see that it is full to the top - no air gap. Keep it that way, it will be perfect. Absolutely no reason to flush the coolant in a new car.

This is the sealing stuff:

[fastball]

Originally Posted by Russell James

This is the sealing stuff:

The old HT4100 in 1980s Cadillacs required the same pelets, and constant cooling system maintenance (i.e. changing the fluid EVERY year) or else the intake manifold would fail before 60,000 miles due to the mix of aluminum block with iron heads.

[Rockhead]

This stuff should only be used if you have a coolant leak and need to drive it to be repaired. This stuff WILL plug your cooling system as It's designed to seal leaks. It's GM's version of stop leak. I keep a few tabs in the tool box of my 4x4 incase we develop a leak on the trail.

[bradshaw]

I had an Olds Aurora and the service manual specified to use these coolant tabs when changing out the coolant due to the all aluminum engine, had the car for 13 years with no problems to the coolant system.

[Russell James]

quote from a GM Techlink article from a few years back:

"Side Effects of Seal Tabs
In addition to the benefits of sealing small leaks and scrubbing silicates from water pump seals, seal tabs also have some side effects.

After awhile, a brown, dirty-looking stain may form on translucent coolant bottles. Residue may form on the backside of the radiator cap. And deposits that resemble rust may be found in the cooling system.

These are not problems, in the sense that they cause no physical harm. But their appearance can be alarming, especially on a new vehicle. Both customers and well-intentioned technicians can be misled by these deposits."


See where it mentions - new cars.... and backside of the radiator cap...

I highly doubt this new car's cooling system is corroding, or the Dexcool has gone funky. I've seen it before on other new cars. I took a tour once of the Corvette plant in Bowling Green and saw them put a sealer powder in every car before the coolant fill. Not sure if the Camaro plant does, by the look of the pic I'd bet they do.

Another reference:

http://www.gmhightechperformance.com.../photo_45.html

[EXCALIBER]

In regards to the sodium silicate fall out, It was many years ago that I had heard this term. In fact, before Dexcool was available. I hope my assumption is incorrect, and it's just the stop leak tabs that someone else mentioned. It does look a little more translucent than what I found in my truck. I have since ran the green universal antifreeze in the truck, and no problems yet. In hind sight, it doesn't seem right for such a new car to have such a cooling system problem this early in the game. I would assume that if there is anything detrimental, it will show up again at the next oil change, or servicing.

[SSLarry]

Originally Posted by Russell James

quote from a GM Techlink article from a few years back:

"Side Effects of Seal Tabs
In addition to the benefits of sealing small leaks and scrubbing silicates from water pump seals, seal tabs also have some side effects.

After awhile, a brown, dirty-looking stain may form on translucent coolant bottles. Residue may form on the backside of the radiator cap. And deposits that resemble rust may be found in the cooling system.

These are not problems, in the sense that they cause no physical harm. But their appearance can be alarming, especially on a new vehicle. Both customers and well-intentioned technicians can be misled by these deposits."


See where it mentions - new cars.... and backside of the radiator cap...

I highly doubt this new car's cooling system is corroding, or the Dexcool has gone funky. I've seen it before on other new cars. I took a tour once of the Corvette plant in Bowling Green and saw them put a sealer powder in every car before the coolant fill. Not sure if the Camaro plant does, by the look of the pic I'd bet they do.

Another reference:

http://www.gmhightechperformance.com.../photo_45.html

NO MORE POSTS NEEDED AFTER THAT ONE


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